KJ Coop

<p>This plugin will display a given number of random blogroll categories to show.<br />
It will show all the links in those categories.</p>
<h3>Usage</h3>
<p>Unless you’ve changed some defaults, your blogroll is most likely displayed by<br />
the following line of code in wp-content/themes/[your theme]/sidebar.php:
    </p>
<p>The simplest way to display a random category is just by replacing that line<br />
with a call to blogroll_random_category:
    </p>
<p>If you want to include a link to the whole blogroll, you can create a page in<br />
wordpress using the links template. Note the permalink. If you’ve already got a<br />
list of your pages in the sidebar, you’re in business. Otherwise you can add one<br />
with the following line of code:<br />
    <a href="[your permalink]" rel="nofollow ugc">See complete blogroll</a></p>
<p>If your blogroll is not set to be categorized, or if there is only one category,<br />
it will return the whole thing untouched.</p>
<h3>Advanced</h3>
<h3>Showing multiple categories</h3>
<p>If you want multiple categories returned, you can send the function that number.<br />
For example:</p>
<p>will return 5 randomized categories. If you only have 4 categories, it will<br />
return all of them in a random order.</p>
<h3>Retaining arguments sent to wp_list_bookmarks</h3>
<p>If you’re sending arguments to wp_list_bookmarks, you can send those to<br />
blogroll_random_category and it will pass them along to wp_list bookmarks. In<br />
this example, we’re showing all categories except #23:
    </p>
<p>The change below will show five random categories, none of which will be #23. If<br />
you only have four categories, this will return the three that are not #23:
    </p>
<h3>To show one category all the time and the rest randomize the rest</h3>
<p>In the sidebar you can explicitly call that category. When only one category is<br />
selected, this plugin knows to return it as it is. Any subsequent calls to<br />
blogroll_random_category ought to be instructed to exclude it in order to avoid<br />
the possibility that it happens to be randomly selected:</p>
<pre><code><?php wp_list_bookmarks('category=23'); ?>
<?php blogroll_random_category(5, 'exclude_category=23'); ?><h3>1.0</h3>* The first version.<h3>1.5</h3>* Whereas this plugin previously altered the behavior of wp_list_bookmarks in a
</code></pre>
<p>way that made it impossible to see the whole blogroll. Now it uses a separate<br />
  function call so that in some instances you can see random categories, but in<br />
  others you can see the whole blogroll.<br />
* Now possible to return multiple random categories without separate function<br />
  calls, thus eliminiating the possibility that two of the random categories<br />
  will be the same.</p>
<h3>1.5.1</h3>
<ul>
<li>The leading closing li tag was not actually getting trimmed off due to<br />
bad copying and pasting. That has been resolved.</li>
</ul>
<h3>A personal request</h3>
<p>If you use/enjoy this plugin, I’d love to hear from you. You’re under no<br />
obligation, but I’d enjoy knowing that somebody out there is enjoying my work.<br />
Promptly returning e-mail is not my strong suit, so you may never get the<br />
courtesy of a reply, but you can rest assured that I appreciated your effort.</p>
<p>I can be reached at kj@kjcoop.com.</p>


Random Blogroll Category

This plug in will select one or more random blogroll categories to show.

Newman

<p>Blogroll Fun uses a subscription to a free service that allows it to easily determine the last update time and the last post for all of the links in your blogroll without slowing down the loading time of your blog.  It allows you to choose if you want to display this information in your blogroll or not.  It simply replaces the standard wordpress link widget while providing additional functionality.</p>
<p>Blogroll Fun can be compared to the feed reading blogroll.  However, unlike feed reading blogroll the last post information is sent to your blog and stored with your blogroll.  It does not rely on your visitors to load this information, or any javascript tricks.</p>
<p>Settings can be updated by going to manage, widgets, then edit on the links widget.</p>
<p>Currently, no ads are being delivered through this plugin.</p>


Random Blogroll Category vs Blogroll Fun – Show Last Post and Last Update Time